Badger Cereal one-shots
by mihane100
Summary: A one-shot series dedicated to Badger Cereal because I love the pairing so much. Warning: The length may vary and all shots probably contain LOTS of fluff. If that's not your kind of thing, you may find this pretty boring. If it IS your kind of thing however, a trove of Badger Cereal-ness awaits! :D
1. You're my Dad?

**This is the first of this Badger Cereal one-shot series. This one was posted on my tumblr and people seemed to enjoy it, so here ya go! This is based from my favourite headcanon that Vlad is Danny's biological Dad. This is also my first Danny Phantom fanfic EVER, so with that in mind, enjoy!**

"I'm your father, Daniel." That one revelation made the boy's blood run cold.

"N-no…" Danny felt his heart constrict and his throat turn dry as he staggered back a few steps. This couldn't be happening!

"Yes. It's true, my boy." All the boy wanted to do then was to blast that smug smile off of the man's-no, his _father_'s face. How could his own mother betray him like this?! She'd kept something as big as _this_ from him for fifteen years? Why? And why make Vlad stay quiet about it? He wanted to deny the whole possibility of Vlad ever being his Dad, but inside, he realized that it actually did make sense. After all, the man had never wanted him simply as an 'ally'. No, from the very beginning, the guy had wanted him as his son. It also explained why Vlad still had a thing for his Mum after 21 years. So…did that mean that all the time he'd been fighting and attacking Plasmius…he'd actually been hurting his own biological Dad? This was just too much…

"I-I-I…d-don't understand," the teen managed to croak out, shock and terror colouring his face as he finally found his voice. "Y-you're...NOT my D-D-Dad! If you were..you w-wouldn't always…try to…w-w-waste me!"

Vlad's smirking face dropped and he sighed.

"You honestly thought I wanted to KILL you?" he began, crossing his arms. "I have been indirectly training you with your powers. It was not as if you would willingly accept my help, after all. A father has to do what a father has to do."

''Yeah, right!'' Danny exclaimed stubbornly. ''As if I'll believe something like THAT!''

Vlad sighed again, an almost upset look on his face. ''Daniel, come over here,'' he told him quietly. Danny, curious as to what the man was going to say, complied and stood next to the man, looking evermore anxious. What was he doing?

''Take a look in the mirror, Daniel,'' Vlad told him, gesturing towards the fancy full length mirror right in front of them that Danny had yet to notice.

''Look at us, dear boy,'' he told him wistfully, placing a proud hand on the teen's shoulder. ''We both posses ghost powers, yes. However, we also have our fair share of visual differences. Back straight, boy.'' Danny did as he was told and gasped. He really _did _look a lot like Vlad. He's never realized it before, but the both of them shared the _exact_ same icy blue eye colour. Their physical builds weren't actually that different when he compared them either.

''Dad...'' Danny muttered in shock, staring at Vlad's reflection. As much as he hated to admit it, the guy...actually _was_ telling the truth.

Why was did his life always have to be so complicated? It seemed that he didn't know what was going on anymore. One thing he did know though, once he'd come out of his shocked state, was that there, standing in front of him and sporting a proud smile, was his real father, whether the man had been secretly looking out for him or not. Looking into the tired blue eyes of the billionaire, Danny saw fondness, affection and worry simultaneously flash in the man's icy orbs as he stared back at the boy. The teen, quite honestly, nearly did a double take. He didn't think he'd ever seen any of those expressions being expressed by that man before, least of all directed towards _him_. Yet, it was unmistakable. This man really was his father, whether he liked it or not.

"So Daniel, now that you know the truth, will you finally join me?"

That question completely knocked Danny out of his shocked stupor and he shrugged the man's hand off of his shoulder angrily.

"No,'' he told him firmly, turning to face the billionaire and taking a step back. ''As much as you…really _are_ my...Dad, I'm NOT going to renounce Da…uh…Jack."

It just didn't feel right to call Jack by anything but his first name now.

"But he's not even your father," Vlad pointed out bitterly, secretly reveling in the fact that Daniel had started referring to Jack by his first name.

"You think I don't KNOW that? Of course I do. But, believe it or not, Jack was there when you weren't. Even though we aren't biologically related, he's still my Dad and I won't let you hurt him." There was a warning tone in the young hero's voice as he defended Jack, which told Vlad that 'I won't let you hurt him' was no idle threat. He meant every word, every syllable and every sentence in that small speech of his and he would follow it through to the very end of his half-life. Vlad narrowed his eyes at that. Why must Jack ruin EVERYTHING? Noticing Vlad's anger, the boy continued, hands on his hips and a green glare on his face.

"I mean it, Vlad. You may actually be my…_real_ father, but it changes nothing. NOTHING. As long as you still plan on making your stupid revenge schemes and trying to flirt with my MARRIED Mum, I will NEVER join you and I will ALWAYS fight to help those that I care about, regardless if I have to hurt my _own Dad_ to do it."

Meanwhile, Vlad was furious. Even after finding out that he was his real father, the boy was still just as stubborn as ever! What could he do to get the teen to trust him and treat him like his father? It was impossible! No…nothing was impossible for Vladimir Masters. He WOULD bring the boy to his side sooner or later. The only thing was, he was out of ideas on how to do so. He had even contemplated mind control, but no. He wanted Daniel to join him willingly. He wanted a son, not a mindless zombie. Then what? How do you get through the thick head of a teenage boy? After all, he couldn't force Daniel to love him.

''Could you at least give me a hug before you jet off and abandon your old man?'' The man asked, seeing if he could use the hero's childish morals to his question was rhetorical, but the young hero still shook his head.

"Don't push it."

Vlad frowned. "Honestly, if you won't join me, the least you can do is give me a hug that isn't part of a plot to escape."

Danny sighed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Oh yeah…he'd forgotten about what he'd said at the Rockies that time. Mumbling something incoherent under his breath, the boy walked closer to the man and hesitantly wrapped his arms around him. it was weird but…he'd never actually hugged Vlad before. Now that he was hugging him though, he couldn't say that he regretted it. Vlad was really warm, due to his heat core and he had started stroking the teen's hair in a soothing gesture. Normally, the boy would have pulled himself away at this point, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to do so. There was something really comforting about hugging his birth Dad, even if said Dad ended up being Vlad of all people. Danny let out a contented sigh and Vlad smiled as he heard it, feeling the young hybrid relax his tense stance as he continued to hug him. Despite what the boy may later say, he was actually enjoying hugging his biological father, which was more proof that he belonged at his side. However, making the young hybrid realize that was the difficult part. As they continued to hug, Danny felt his eyes start to droop. But no! He couldn't fall asleep. He had to get out of here. Letting off a short yawn, Danny let go of Vlad, mentally regretting it and stepped away from the man.

"Right, well…I'd better go. My…uh…parent's are gonna get worried," Danny told the older hybrid awkwardly, before muttering a quick 'Goin' ghost!' and letting the cool rings traverse around his form to transform him into Phantom.

Before either of them could say anything else, Danny was gone.


	2. Badger Cereal Christmas

**Badger Cereal Christmas Truce**

**This is an extremely belated Christmas Truce fanfic for Kasena on tumblr, but I wanted to post it here, too. I hope you like it! ^_^**

Vlad groaned as he sat in front of the fireplace on a comfy chair in his Amity Park mansion. It was Christmas, which meant that there would be lots of flashing lights everywhere and annoying Christmas carolers singing dangerously off-key near his home, while he pretended to look cheerful. Honestly, it was starting to give him a migraine. But at least it was snowing, he supposed. He could see the gentle flecks of white floating down onto his windows as he sighed and sipped some of the tea that was sitting on the coffee table. Despite being a billionaire, Vlad found Christmas one of the most lonely times of the year, as he had no family and he couldn't visit Daniel without accidentally breaking the idiotic 'Christmas truce' that each ghost had abided by each year. So instead, he settled with sitting by the fire, on his own.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the door, breaking the man from his musings. Oh, what now? Slowly waltzing over to the door, the man irritatedly curled a pale hand onto the door knob and turned it...only to find the last person he had expected to see. Danny was stood on the man's doorstep, wearing a red coat adorning a blue scarf and a red nose that would rival even Rudolph. He also looked freezing, but despite that, he had a bright smile on his face.

''Daniel?'' Vlad gasped out, not quite believing his eyes. The boy was _willingly_ visiting him? Wow, that was...new.

''Hey Vlad!'' Danny cheerfully greeted, before quickly clearing his throat and starting to...was that boy _singing_? The thing that surprised Vlad the most though, was the fact that he wasn't even that bad at doing it. Almost like he'd_ practiced _beforehand or something.

''How far would you go to the edge? How hard would you fight for yourself?'' Danny started, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Of course he wasn't going to sing Christmas songs. He had chosen this song deliberately because of the lyrics.

''Daniel, what the blazes are yo-''

''...You're the king of master plans, a thousand in a box! But they never see the light of day and always someones fault!''

Vlad smirked, as he realized what the teen was getting at. He was trying to tell him what he thought through song. Noticing the man's sudden realization, the boy quickly stopped singing and chose a different song.

''I knew you were trouble when you walked iiiiin! Shame on me no-ow, flew me to places I've never beeeen, 'til you put me down, OH!''

Danny continued with a couple more songs, until his throat hurt and he couldn't sing anymore. ''Well, ya know. You get the idea right?''

Vlad stared at the teen, his first genuine smile of the day colouring his face. What a strange boy. What the heck was he doing?

''Daniel, was there a _point _in you coming here?'' he asked, mock irritation in his voice. Danny could see the smile slowly curling its way onto the stiff billionaire's lips though, so he didn't glare or anything in return. Before he could comment any further though, Danny suddenly starting having a violent coughing fit, quickly reminding the man of how cold the boy had looked minutes before. Opening the door wider, Vlad ushered the teen inside, before shutting the door quickly as not to let the cold in.

''T-thanks V-Vlad.'' Danny stuttered out, sitting on one of the chairs near the fireplace. ''I actually c-came to g-give you a C-Christmas present, but I f-figured I'd g-give caroling a go w-while I was at it.'' While he was speaking, Vlad sat himself back down in his chair and gave the boy a surprised look in response to the only part of the teen's sentence that had actually sunk in.

''You...got me a present? It better not be a cat, Daniel.'' he warned, shock not diminishing in the slightest. It seemed like everything the boy said today was surprising him and he didn't know what to think of that.

''Don't worry, Vlad. I promise it's not a cat. I just thought I'd give you something to say...a sort of...thanks,'' he told him, taking a small blue box out of his coat pocket with a gloved hand and handing it to the billionaire. The man blinked in surprise, but took the small box from the teen regardless.

''Thanks? For what, dear boy?''

The ghost boy shrugged and took to staring at the fireplace contemplatively.

''Believe it or not, I actually really enjoy our fights. Keeps me on my toes, you know?'' Vlad chuckled. He never realised that the boy actually _liked_ fighting with him, but now he realized that he had actually been helping him in a sense. ''Thanks for being an awesome fruitloop.''

Smiling at the teen in response, Vlad finally decided to open the little box. The sad part was, that this was his first christmas present in 20 years. So what if it may have been a cat? He's take what he could get. Once he had lifted the lid up, the billionairre gasped at what he saw. Inside that box was a small figure in the shape of a badger, composed entirely of glowing ice. For a minute, Vlad questioned himself as to why it was a badger. Then suddenly, it came to him and he chuckled. My, how creative.

''Did you...make this?'' Danny nodded, forcing his hand to glow a bright blue as if to prove his point.

''It took me...*cough*...about a week to...*cough*...make it perfect, but I think it was...*cough* worth it. Do you like...*cough* it?'' Frowning at the boy's coughing fit, Vlad handed Danny the cup of tea, which he gratefully accepted.

''Yes, I do really like it. Thank you, Daniel. And here, it will help your throat. You really shouldn't be singing so much in the freezing cold _little badger_.'' The older hybrid chuckled again, a genuine smile on his face.

''Thanks.'' Danny told the man, taking a drink of the liquid. The warm substance was like heaven to the boy's sore throat and he smiled, shutting his eyes in pleasure, as it soothed his throat and warmed up his stomach. ''You know, that ice is supernatural, so it won't melt,'' he told him in between sips of tea. Vlad nodded in acknowledgement, smiling fondly at the boy who was sitting beside him, where he belonged.

''So Daniel, what about your family? Won't they be missing you on Christmas?'' Not that Vlad really wanted Danny to go, but he thought he should ask anyway.

''Naa,'' the ghost boy sighed. ''To be honest, my parents are driving me crazy. They have this one debate _every single_ _year_ about whether Santa exists or not and there's only so much a teenager can take.'' Vlad nodded in agreement. He recalled Jack and Maddie having some sort of debate on Christmas about Santa during their college years too. To be honest, it was amazing that after 20 years, they still had anything to debate about.

''What about you, Vlad?'' The man blinked, not quite understanding what the teen was asking.

''What about me?''

''Don't you have anyone to spend Christmas with?''

Ah. So _that's_ what he'd meant. Vlad sighed sadly and started staring at the fireplace, like the boy had been doing moments before.

''No. Nobody. But I'm used to it by now,'' he responded bitterly, narrowing his eyes slightly as he remembered most of his lonely Christmases in the past and all the people that had abandoned him. The room was silent for a good 15 minutes as both hybrids contemplated on their own, not really sure of what to say next. After a while though, Danny finally decided on something to say and he couldn't say that he regretted saying it.

''You know what? Not this time.'' This certainly made Vlad blink himself out of his stupor. Was Daniel about to say what he thought he was going to say?

''This time, you don't need to be alone on Christmas. I know we don't always get on, but that doesn't mean you deserve to be lonely today of all days.''

''Are you serious, Daniel? What about your family?'' Sure, he wanted-no _needed_\- Daniel to stay with him, if not for today, but someone had to play the part of the responsible adult and it couldn't be Daniel. The ghost boy shrugged and let off a small sneeze, before replying firmly.

''My family have each other, Vlad. And to be honest, being the only other half ghost, I'm the closest thing to family you've got. It_ is _the Christmas truce after all.''

For a minute, Vlad actually didn't know what to say, but the teen continued to smile at him encouragingly, as if urging him to say yes. Eventually, the billionaire finally managed to get his words out, in his usual cocky fashion. However, the usual I-know-everything smirk was replaced by a beaming smile that couldn't be faked.

''Oh Daniel, I suppose I have no choice now, hmm? This is sure to be a long night.'' The words should have been offensive, but Danny knew the guy was just joking and couldn't help giggling.

''Right, 'cuz hanging out with your 'little badger' at Christmas is gonna be SO difficult!'' The both of them let out a laugh at that, suddenly reminding the man of Danny's gift. Standing up in his chair, Vlad picked up the little ice ornament and placed it in front of the television, where he would most likely see it the most.

''Wait- when did that TV get there?'' Danny asked quizzically, staring at the large flat screen as if he'd never seen one before in his life. Vlad couldn't help smirking in response.

''Around the same time I bought _all_ of my furniture, Daniel. I don't suppose you would like to watch a film?'' Ignoring the obvious sarcasm, Danny grinned and nodded. Watching a movie on a flat screen TV at Christmas didn't sound half bad, actually. So what if his arch enemy would be watching it with him?

Once the mansion's butler had delivered some popcorn and other snacks to the room, both half ghosts made themselves comfortable on the large sofa in front of the television screen as_ 'Elf' _started playing. After much laughing at the elf's antics, the two had grown quiet when the film was halfway through. Glancing up at the teen, Vlad saw Danny tilt his head until it was leaning on the man's shoulder, before snoring lightly. Vlad smiled fondly at the exhausted teen and patted his head gently, in an affectionate manner. Danny smiled in response and snuggled into Vlad's arm, much like a son may do to his father. The man smiled at the snoring boy and wrapped an arm around him. Danny sleepily yawned, snuggling closer into Vlad's chest, before mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like ''Merry Christmas.''

**Because I thought you might wanna know, the songs I used for Danny's Christmas carols are 'Do Something' by the Luminites and 'I Knew You Were Trouble' by Taylor Swift.**


	3. You're my Dad? Part two

**This is the requested part two of the first one-shot of this series, 'You're my Dad?' Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I have and never will own Danny Phantom.**

''Mum, uh...D-Dad, can I...t-talk to you for a s-s-sec?'' Danny managed to blurt out when he arrived home to see both of his parents sat at the kitchen table working on another invention. This time though, Danny wasn't nervous about the fact that the invention might actually hurt him. No, he was more nervous about what he was about to ask his Mum and Jack. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to avoid this conversation and _get the heck out of there_, but he kept both feet firmly on the ground. He wasn't going anywhere; he needed answers...now. He didn't know if he'd have the guts to ask later, so it_ had _to be now.

''Sweetie, we're reaching a breakthrough with the Fenton incinerator. Can't it wait?'' Maddie asked sweetly. It was weird, but the voice that used to reassure Danny when he was a child now sounded laced with deceit and mocking.

''N-N-NO! It CAN'T wait,'' the ghost boy demanded, his anger threatening to get the better of him. Before Maddie could respond or comment on Danny's attitude, Jack lifted his large head up from the table he had been staring intently at and gave Danny a large grin.

''Whaddaya want, son?'' he boomed cheerfully. Danny tried not to wince at the 'son' part and forced himself to focus on what he was trying to say.

''Why didn't you tell me?'' he asked, ignoring Jack and turning to look at his mother sadly. Maddie quirked an eyebrow in confusion and went to pat Danny on the shoulder to comfort him, but he backed away from her like she would burn him and pinned her with a serious look. It was just like that saying said: 'The worst thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.'

''What are you talking about, Danny? Your father and I-''

''That's...just _it_, Mum,'' Danny interrupted her. ''Jack isn't m-my...f-father...is he?''

''Danny, what are y-''

''IS HE?'' He'd, quite honestly, had enough of being lied to. It was time he learned the truth from his mother's own mouth.

Maddie sighed. ''I was hoping you would never...Danny, you need to _understand_,'' the woman pleaded. ''What happened...was _years_ ago. Does it even _matter_ now?''

Danny stared at his mother in stunned silence. Did it _matter_? His whole life was a..._lie_ and his own Mum was questioning the_ importance _of the_ small detail _of his birth Dad's real identity?!

''W-what...? Of COURSE it matters! You LIED to me!'' His eyes were starting to glow vibrant green now in his anger, but he blinked them back to icy blue. Now really wasn't the time for revealing his secret to his parents. His life was already messed up enough as it was.

''To be honest Mads, I'm surprised Vladdie never told him sooner,'' Jack mumbled, a little too loudly.

Danny gasped. ''YOU knew too?!''

Maddie glared at Jack, but both nodded guiltily regardless.

''I...need some air,'' Danny managed to croak out. He needed to get out of there. There was only so much a teenager could take, even if he _did_ have superpowers. Before either parents could say anything, Danny had run out of the door and secretly took off flying into no apparent direction as a means to escape the nightmare that was his life. Traitors, all of them! How could they do this to him, hide something so BIG from him for all these years and then _shrug_ it off like it wasn't even IMPORTANT? His ARCH-ENEMY was officially his DAD. You definitely didn't get more weird than that.

**XXX**

After a lot of flying and a lot of thinking, Danny sighed and was just thinking about going home, when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

''So, I take it you received confirmation from your parents?'' A familiar voice asked him from seemingly nowhere.

''VLAD?'' Danny gasped, spinning around quickly to face the older halfa in case the man wanted a fight or something. I mean, the man was his Dad, but he was _still_ Vlad, after all. ''W-what're you...DOING here?'' he asked, voice laced with suspicion. ''You're not spying on me again, are you?''

''Dear boy, in case you hadn't noticed, my mansion is right below us,'' Vlad stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. ''I was on a nightly flight of my own when I saw you. I can assure you that there was no spying of any kind involved.'' Well, that wasn't strictly true. After the boy had made his oh-so-dramatic exit, the man had been curious to see what events would occur in the Fenton household. Still, young Daniel didn't need to know that.

"Hey, Vlad?"

"Yes, dear boy?"

''Do you...think it's _right_...that my parents think that you, being my...D-Dad is..._unimportant_? I mean, if they'd never _planned_ on telling me, then...oh, who am I kidding? I can't get _advice _from a...f-fruitloop. W-what am I_...doing_?'' Vlad should have been insulted by the fruitloop comment, but he could see the boy's shoulders shaking violently and tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

''I admit, dear boy, that getting advice from a..._fruitloop_...is a bad idea. However, getting advice from a _father_ can be quite different, if you're willing to listen.''

''I...'' Danny sighed and looked Vlad straight into his crimson eyes, seeing nothing but fatherly sincerity, as weird as that was, coming from Plasmius. Before Danny could find anything else in the man's facial expression though, his eyes started clouding up with what he realised were tears. He was _crying_. In front of _Vlad_. Oh crud. Instead of making fun of the boy as Vlad would have usually done though, the man's expression softened and he found himself wrapping his strong arms around his son protectively, before he even realised what he was doing. ''It's alright, little badger. It's okay,'' the man reasurred his son in a soft voice, stroking the teen's raven black hair soothingly, as he had earlier. Danny didn't even resist and let his body go limp in his Dad's arms. It just felt SO comforting and to be honest, he needed all the comfort he could get right now.

"What do you say we go back to my mansion now, hmm?" Vlad suggested kindly, letting go of his son. "I think you could use a break from all of the craziness for a while. Don't you?"

Danny nodded. Vlad was right as always, much to his continued annoyance. Maybe it would be a good thing to escape Amity for a while. Plus, he needed to see if this 'kind, fatherly Vlad' was going to last. If so, he had LOTS of father/son quality time to catch up on.


	4. Untitled memory loss thingy

**Nope, this one-shot series isn't dead! ^^ I randomly came up with this thing, so I hope you like this un-named thing! **

**Oh, and please note: This looked WAY longer when I typed it on my phone. I apologize for shortness! :/**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't actually own Danny Phantom. If I did, it would have way more Badger Cereal in it. :P**

Vlad Masters smirked smugly to himself as he leaned back in his chair. He had done it. He had ACTUALLY gotten Danny Phantom to be his son. He had started to think that it would be an impossible feat, the boy being as irritatingly loyal to Jack as he was. That is, before he had had that stroke of absolute genius. Who knew that altering the timeline a bit could be so darn useful? Well, not the timeline per say, but how the teenager perceived it. No, he hadn't lost his memory. He'd just so happened to have acquired a..._selective amnesia_. How delightfully convenient. He decided he would thank Desiré for this favour later. Now he just needed to...

His train of thought was interrupted by a polite knock on the door of his private study. The man sighed in annoyance. It was probably one of his maids again.

"Come in," he ordered, a harsh quality to his tone. He really wasn't in the mood for one of his maid's claims of 'seeing something supernatural in the kitchen'. Blasted Dairy King was more trouble than he was worth. His staff's new-found fear of that kitchen was inconvenient at best.  
The door opened slowly and the very teenager he had been thinking about walked in, albeit a little cautiously.

"Uh, hi D-Dad."

Vlad's irritation instantly fell away. "Ah, Daniel, my boy! Are you alright?"

He directed his gaze to the floor. "I don't...know."

The man frowned and, after a hesitant pause, asked, "would you like to talk about it?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Apparently, Vlad was his father, but something in the back of his mind was still worried that the guy would mock him. "Well I don't wanna bother you..."

Vlad shook his head. "Nonsense, my boy! I'm your father, aren't I? You can tell me anything." _Especially if said 'thing' ends up being important,_ he mentally added. He may have recovered some of his memories of Jack. Vlad patted the chair next to him encouragingly.

The boy furrowed his eyebrows and stayed silent for a minute as if considering. Then, he sat himself down on the chair.  
"I was just...thinking." Uncertainty was written on his face. "How come I remember Mom and Jazz, but they don't live with us? And how can I remember my friends clearer than I remember you?"

The billionaire had to seriously resist the urge to use one of his signature confectionary curses.

"Your mother and I divorced a few years ago," he lied. "She moved to Florida with Jasmine soon after."

The boy's eyebrows creased in sadness. "I guess that...makes sense." His baby blue orbs turned to look up at the man. "So you're...my only parent?" Vlad nodded, which only seemed to cause the confused teenager to frown worriedly.  
"Then why don't I remember you? Aren't we close? Am I a bad son?" His eyes suddenly widened as a terrible thought occurred to him and his eyes started gathering unshed tears. "D-do you...even care about me?"

Acting on impulse, Vlad did something that he, himself, never could have imagined himself doing. He hugged the distressed boy. He had no evil motive for doing it, no hidden agenda. Could it be that...he just genuinely wanted to make the boy feel better? Regardless, he didn't even find himself hesitating at doing the action.

"Of course I care about you, Daniel," he told him reassuringly. "I've always cared about you." Danny only hugged him back tighter in response. To the man's surprise, he actually found himself admitting aloud the truth that he had tried so hard to keep hidden inside the depths of his core. That boy always had been like a son to him, even though that was not biological. It was a curse really, how he would find himself going easy on the teenager during fights, and spending less and less time with Jack revenge schemes in favour of spending more time with Daniel via his pettier, easier-to-defeat schemes.

The boy sniffled. "Y-you mean it? Everything... is a-all fo-fo-foggy."

The man nodded. "I do. I love you, my boy. Never forget that."

He felt the boy nod under his hold. "Y-yes Dad." His voice held a shaky, almost rasp-like quality to it. Had be been crying any more recently? Vlad supposed it could be a side-effect of the memory erasing spell that was used. The billionaire stroked the, now sobbing, boy's hair comfortingly and the teenager eagerly took in the comfort. He had been feeling really empty and alone lately, so this was...really nice. For a guy that could be so cold to everyone else, Vlad was surprisingly fatherly.  
Seeing the teenager's tears and sobbing start to let up, the older half ghost let go of the younger in his arms and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Feeling better now?"

Danny nodded, a small smile of admiration on his face.

"Good. Now, shouldn't you be getting to bed? It is getting rather late."

"Yeah, it is. I should have known you would never do anything to hurt me," the boy said as he made his way to the door. "Love you, Dad. G'night!"

"Sleep tight, son." With that, Danny was gone. Vlad sighed as he leaned back in his chair. How could he really say he cared for the boy when it was him that was responsible for removing his memories and making him so upset? The boy actually trusted him now, and you know what?  
That was just painful.

Danny Fenton sighed worriedly as he leaned back in his room's computer chair a week later. Thankfully, his memory of everything from Jack Fenton to Vlad Plasmius had miraculously returned and he hadn't hesitated to fly home to FentonWorks the first chance he got. He didn't want to see Vlad or fight with him at the time, so he had opted for leaving him an angry note instead. He didn't think it would feel right to fight that guy again after what had happened that night. He had told Vlad in the letter that he couldn't remember anything that happened whilst he thought he was Vlad's son. The truth? He remembered everything. Despite the fact that Vlad had manipulated him and probably caused his memory loss, there was something so completely genuine about how Vlad had tried to make him feel better and had actually hugged him. Almost like he actually...cared? He kept telling himself that of course he didn't and that he was just a fruitloop that did it to keep up the charade, but he had his doubts. That same caring sentence just wouldn't stop repeating itself in his head and it sounded much too sincere.

_"I love you, my boy. Never forget that."_

The boy sighed and his frown deepened. These conflicting feeling were giving him a headache. Was there more to Vlad Masters than met the eye?


	5. The Music of a Lonely Half-Ghost Hybrid

**Aaaaaand here's another one! I had a bit of fun with this one, so I hope you enjoy! :D**

_**Disclaimer: **__**Don't own Danny Phantom of anything related to it, and I never have owned it. Yadda yadda yadda...TO THE STORY! ^^**_

**Thanks to all the amazing people reviewing, favouriting and following this thing! :D**

**The Music of a Lonely Half-Ghost Hybrid**

Vlad frowned as he flew through AmityPark as Plasmius, observing the wreck that used to be the town he ruled as Mayor. He winced at the blaring rock music coming from town hall and the ugly purple Ember posters littered everywhere. Honestly, he had left that backwater town for a week on business and it had already gone to ruin. Where on earth was Daniel? Wasn't dealing with power hungry ghosts supposed to be HIS job? Narrowing his crimson orbs, the older hybrid finally spotted the source of the problem, Ember McLain. She seemed to have Danny Phantom trapped in some kind of cage and he was looking rather bored. Not wasting any time, Plasmius swooped over to the rock star and pinned her easily against a wall.

"And just WHAT do you think you're doing?" he growled in her face.

The ghost girl gulped in fear. Everyone in the Ghost Zone knew just how powerful the great Vlad Plasmius was. However, there was NO was she was about to let that...that...GROWN UP stop her plans when she was this close to achieving world domination.

"L-look Plas," she tried reasoning, despite her compromised position. "If you leave me alone to take over this pathetic planet, I'll-"

Plasmius raised an eyebrow in mock curiosity and cut her off. "You'll what? What could you _possibly_ offer me that I don't _already_ have?" Ember frowned. He had a point. He was already rich and powerful as it was. What else could she possibly offer him?

"Man, you're screwed now, Em. The fruitloop's kinda gotcha beat," came Danny's gloating from the cage. It was so great seeing Plasmius angry at someone that wasn't HIM for a change. Ember glared at him.

"Shut it, dipstick! You and Plasmius aren't...exactly..." She paused, her emerald eyes widening suddenly as she realised something. The rock star's shocked expression quickly melted into a purple lipped smirk. She knew EXACTLY what to offer him.

**XXX**

Tucker and Sam, upon seeing Danny, raced towards the scene. When they saw Plasmius and Ember talking though, Tucker roughly grabbed the goth's arm and hid them both behind a well positioned tree.

"What are you DOING, Tucker?" Sam growled, yanking her arm free from Tucker's grasp. The boy shushed her.

"Quiet, Sam!" he hissed. "I wanna see what's going on! Ember's up to something."

"And you wanna eavesdrop...why?"

"Well, knowledge IS power and all that. We can't help Danny if we don't know anything. Now shut up and lemme listen!"

With an eyeroll, Sam complied. Tucker DID have a point, she supposed. Sure enough, Ember did actually have a plotting smirk on her pale face, despite being pinned roughly against a wall. What she said next made the two teenagers' blood run cold.

"What if...I could get babypop over there to be completely loyal to you? Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Tucker gasped. "She can DO that?!" Sam gulped, eyes wide with worry.

"I think so," she told her friend through gritted teeth. Either way, they were about to find out.

Vlad seemed to roll his crimson eyes. "Impossible."

The man fired up a pink ectoblast with his other hand and shot it at the metal cage that Danny Phantom was trapped in, utterly disintegrating it, but not even putting a scratch on the younger half ghost. The two hidden teenagers frowned. Did Vlad just let Danny go?

Danny cracked his knuckles threateningly and approached the other two, promising pain. He didn't know why Vlad had let him go, but he wasn't going to take his new-found freedom for granted.

Noticing an angry ghost boy approaching, Ember started to panic. "Let me go, and I'll prove it!"

The grip Plasmius had on her was starting to tighten now. With a shrug at the ghost teen's panicked form, Vlad let go. This promised to be interesting. Coughing out of habit and not in an actual need to breath, Ember reached for her guitar, quickly adjusted some dials and pressed a few buttons on the device until it was glowing a deep purple.

Danny's eyes widened as he flew towards the device as fast as his spectral tail would allow, in an attempt to stop it mid attack. Seeing the ghost boy angrily charging towards her, Ember strummed hard against the correct strings, the purple ray of light illuminating Danny's shocked face as it hit its target. Caught off guard, Danny was shot into a wall. He let out a groan as his body made impact.

Meanwhile, Vlad and the two members of Team Phantom watched confused, as they saw the boy cough and get up from the floor. He didn't seem any different, really.

"Just watch..." Ember muttered.

Danny glared at the ghost and flew towards Vlad. As soon as he saw Vlad's bewildered face though, he smiled happily. "Hey, Dad!"

The man froze. "Daniel?" Well that was...strange.

Tucker gasped and Sam put a reassuring hand on Tucker's shoulder to stop him from speaking out. They needed to come up with a plan before they got themselves discovered.

"Yeah? Do you want something, father?" Danny asked eagerly. He couldn't understand why father looked so shocked.

The man frowned. "Uh...yes, my boy." He put a hand on the teenager's shoulder. He needed to test this. The boy's face, if possible, brightened up. "Could you...tell me what you think about Jack Fenton?"

Danny scowled, but it didn't look directed towards Vlad. "The dude's a total fruitloop. I'm _so _glad I wasn't unlucky enough to be _his_ son." Danny grinned at the frowning billionaire.

Sam and Tucker both let out a shudder. "Oh, I bet Vlad is just LOVING this," Sam growled under her breath. Tucker raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really? Because he doesn't…_ look_ happy. If anything, he looks a little _upset_." Before Sam could comment, their friend spoke again.

"Love ya, Dad." Vlad gulped, voice caught in his throat. Hearing Daniel say that to him was just...too much. Danny's smile fell and his expression became concerned. "Are you okay? You look...sad."

Vlad forced a small smile onto his face, but Tucker and Sam could tell it was faked. But why? Isn't this what he wanted? "I'm...fine, son. Just tired, I suppose." _Tired of being lonely and unloved_, he wanted to add. The oldest half ghost turned to the, now very smug, rockstar. She was obviously very pleased at her handiwork.

"How long is he going to be like this?"

Ember shrugged. "I dunno, as long as I want? My guitar isn't very specific."

The teenagers saw Vlad nod, a calculated gleam in his eye. Uh oh- Vlad with a plan was never a good thing.

"Daniel," he addressed the boy. "Be a good boy and get Ember's guitar for me, would you, hmm?" The boy nodded obediently.

"Of course, father. You want me to damage it while I'm at it?"

Plasmius shook his head. "No. I need that in one piece."

Nodding again, Danny raised his fists and flew in front of the rockstar threateningly. "So Ember, you wanna do this the easy way, or the hard way? 'Cos either way, my Dad needs it and I'm not gonna let him down."

Ember glared at Vlad. "What the heck're ya DOING jerkwad?!" Vlad only smirked in response as he watched Danny attack Ember for her guitar, only just managing to make the ghost loosen her hold on the device a little.

"Shouldn't we _do_ something?" Tucker asked Sam, of whom had been oddly quiet.

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes as she studied Vlad. "No, Vlad's obviously up to something and we need to see what he's going to do. He could want the guitar to use its' powers, but he knows as well as I do that only Ember can use the guitar, which means..."

Her eyes went wide and she let out a gasp, but said no more. She needed to see what the older half ghost was going to do, though she already had a bit of an idea what. Tucker decided not to ask and see for himself what was going to happen.

Somehow, during their dialogue, Danny had successfully managed to retrieve the guitar. With a grin, the boy landed in front of Vlad and handed it to him. Ember was already trapped with a line of Fenton Fisher, so she could do little to get it back.

"Thank you, Daniel," Vlad sighed, before looking at the obedient teenager for a few minutes, a sad smile on his face. "I love you, my boy."

"I-" Before Danny could finish his sentence, Vlad did what nobody but Sam had expected. He snapped the guitar in half. Danny's eyes suddenly grew wide and before anyone could react, his eyelids fluttered shut as he fell unconscious. Luckily, Vlad grabbed him by his shoulder before he could literally fall.

"Did he just-"

"Oh yeah."

**XXX**

Ember, by now, was fuming. "What the HECK was THAT?! You just disabled the spell!"

Plasmius nodded sadly. "I...know, but forcing Daniel to love me is never what I wanted. It just isn't right."

The rockstar frowned. "Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me! You don't SERIOUSLY think the dipstick would ever love you willingly, do ya?"

Vlad shook his head. "Maybe not, but that isn't important right now. What _is_ important however, is that you _return to the Ghost Zone NOW_ before I _MAKE YOU_." He angry expression became a smirk. "After all, that guitar of yours isn't going to fix itself."

With a lot of angry grumbling, Ember finally untangled herself of the Fenton fishing line and flew off back to the Ghost Zone. Vlad sighed and picked up Danny bridal style, his stoic face softening as he looked at the boy he regrettably cared so much about. He'd liked that Danny had been obedient and seemed to love him, but that _wasn't_ really the Daniel he knew. That Daniel was made via a spell. The love the boy had for him ten minutes ago wasn't real, and he wasn't going to pretend it was. He just hoped that Ember's magic hadn't hurt the teenager too much, or else he would never forgive himself. A chilled breeze brushed passed the man, making him shiver slightly. Danny, on instinct, curled up closer to Vlad, the nearest source of warmth. With a small smile, the man took to the sky and flew into a specific direction, as if he had flown in that direction many a time before.

"You think he's gonna take Danny back to his mansion now?" Tucker asked curiously, as he and Sam continued to watch.

Sam shook her head. "I don't think so. But let's follow him in case. The fruitloop obviously cares about Danny, as weird as that is, but I wanna see what the fruitloop does, anyway."

Tucker nodded in agreement and followed as Sam sneaked behind various trees and bushes in an attempt to not be seen following the older, more powerful, half ghost. They realised Vlad cared about Danny, but that didn't mean that care actually extended to _them _too. After about ten minutes of following the older half ghost, Vlad finally arrived at his destination: FentonWorks. The teenagers watched from a tree as Plasmius placed Danny into his bed, pulled the covers on top of him and slipped the teenager's shoes off. They heard their friend mumble something incoherent about the Box Ghost in response. With a quiet chuckle, Vlad kissed Danny on the forehead and flew back home to his lonely mansion. When he was finally gone, Sam let out a sigh of relief and climbed out of the tree, Tucker hesitantly following her.

"He's finally gone! I can't believe he didn't see us," she muttered in disbelief.

"I know, right?" Tucker agreed. "And who knew Vlad actually CARED about Danny?"

The next day, Danny's friends had tried to explain what had happened the day before to the ghost boy and that the man actually cared, but he, of course, didn't believe them. They couldn't say that they blamed him, though. After all, had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would have been sceptical too.


	6. Hospital Drabble

**Hospital drabble**

**It's been a while, hasn't it? Anyways, enjoy the fluff! ^^**

Blackness… a never-ending void of empty charcoal… a bottomless pit of despair and emptiness. That was all the young half ghost could see anymore. Danny sighed as he lay in the hospital bed that he was inhabiting. At least, he _assumed_ it was a hospital bed, anyway. Due to his new… _impairment_, he couldn't really tell _where_ he was.

"FIVE MONTHS?!" He heard Jack Fenton's booming voice exclaim. "He's a FENTON! He should be able to heal QUICKER than THAT!"

The boy felt himself cringe as he felt his ears ringing. Did he have to be so loud?

"I'm sorry, Mr Fenton," came a sympathetic woman's voice in response. "But your son's eyes are very delicate right now and are going through an important healing process. The only thing any of us can do now is wait for recovery. Until then, while Daniel's sight is repairing, it would be best if he stayed here." She seemed to know what she was talking about, so Danny assumed she was a doctor, or at least a nurse.

There was silence in the room, so the half ghost assumed it meant that his family were thinking about what they had just been told. Danny gulped. Did she say he would be sightless and stuck in this hospital room for six months? Oh, man. Even though he had supernatural healing abilities, it still meant he would be blind for a lot longer than he had hoped.

"Don't worry, dude. We'll sort out the ghosts for ya," Tucker's voice told him reassuringly in a whisper. Hearing it, the boy smiled. He really did have the best friends a kid could ask for.

His joy was interrupted by Jazz's skeptical voice. "Six months? Isn't that going to be a bit… expensive?" The boy frowned. He and his sister were no strangers to the fact that their parents had almost no money lately. There was no way they were going to be able to pay for this.

"Expensive, yes," the doctor clarified. "However, it won't be you or your family paying for the costs."

"What?" He heard Sam ask in confusion. Initially, Danny had played with the idea that Sam's parents had agreed to pay for the hospital. However, he had quickly changed his mind when he remembered just how much the Mansons really didn't like him. Then who-

"Mr. Masters agreed to pay for the whole thing," the woman confirmed calmly. "Now, I suggest you all leave for now. Daniel needs his rest." Before Danny could respond, he heard a flurry of loud footsteps exit the room, as well as a 'get better soon, little brother' from his sister. Really, he was fortunate he still had his hypersensitive hearing, because without that as well, he really would be completely useless.

"Doctor?" Danny asked, checking to see if the woman was still there. He really needed to know something.

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Did… did Vlad really pay for all of this?" he asked, rather hesitantly. Why would the fruitloop DO that? It had to be some sort of mistake!

"Yes, he did. As soon as he heard you were being admitted to this hospital, he called up the receptionist and told her he would be paying for the whole thing. He was even kind enough to inform us that you were allergic to blood tests."

The boy rolled his eyes, or at least, _tried_ to. Allergic to blood tests? Yeah, right. The guy knew as much as he did that one blood test would ruin the whole thing and his parents would immediately be informed that he was half ectoplasm. But why did the guy even care if he was discovered? Was it because he was scared that his secret would be revealed too? He exhaled incredulously. It _had_ to be that. Why else would he lie? It certainly wasn't because he was worried for Danny's own safety or anything, right? This was _Vlad_.

"If that will be all, I have other patients to attend to," the doctor told him, footsteps heading towards the door. "Have a good day."

Danny sighed and shut his eyes. "Sure, whatever. Thanks doc." His life sucked. His day was probably going to be about as good as getting his butt handed to him by the Ghost King.

**XXX **

Approximately three hours later, Danny hadn't once been able to sleep. He was, quite frankly, too depressed at the prospect that he was now blind. He had always expected that the ghost fights that he constantly got into would injure him in some way, but he never could have anticipated _this_.

He let out a depressed sigh, but his breath hitched when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder in reassurance. How had he not heard them come in? His first thought that this was a nurse, but no. The hand felt familiar on his shoulder and felt almost... fatherly. He knew it couldn't have been Jack though, since he could have heard that guy coming a mile away. Despite this, he still found himself smiling a little.

"Dad?"

He heard an all-too-familiar chuckle. "Honestly Daniel, the fact that you thought I was the oaf is really not much of a compliment."

The teenager glared and angrily shook the man's hand off of his shoulder. "Vlad!" He groaned. "Ugh, great. You here to gloat?"

He could almost hear Vlad roll his eyes. "Yes, Daniel," he agreed sarcastically. "I payed _all_ that money to ensure you recover your eyesight and bothered to _skip_ an important business to see you, just so I could _gloat._"

Danny didn't respond. The man frowned as he tried to make out what the boy could be thinking, but all he saw in those glassy, vacant eyes, was despair.

"Daniel, your eyesight _will_ return. It will just tak-"

"WHY, fruitloop?" Danny suddenly exclaimed angrily, crossing his arms and cutting the man off.

"Why what?" the older hybrid asked coldly.

"Why would you PAY for all of this? What would you possibly GET from that?!"

There was a sigh and then after a pause, the billionaire spoke again, but it wasn't the response that Danny had wanted. "You should rest, my boy." He headed towards the door, but before he could fully exit the room, the boy's panicked voice stopped him.

"Don't leave! Please!"

He raised his eyebrows and approached the teenager worriedly. "Daniel, are you… alright?"

Danny frowned and shifted his blank gaze downwards, even though he couldn't see what was there. "D-don't… leave," he begged pathetically. "I-" He cut himself off with a defeated sigh. "Not that you care, but nobody has visited me in hours. All I can see… is neverending darkness, and I don't like it. People being here is the only way to tell that I'm alive and to be honest, stopping me from going totally insane."

Vlad frowned, not that Danny could see it. "Calm down, Daniel. I… If you don't want me to leave, I won't."

Danny smiled appreciatively, his eyes still fixed below him.

The man stepped closer to the teenager and narrowed his eyes. "Let me see your eyes, Daniel. What on earth could have happened to them to cause that much of a panic attack from you?"

Danny did as he was told and looked straight ahead of him, still unable to see. He pouted as Vlad grabbed ahold of his chin. "That wasn't a _panic attack_, Vlad. I was just a bit… _worried,_ is all."

Vlad chuckled and stared into the wide, azure eyes. They didn't appear to look damaged at first glance, but when he looked closer, he could see just how glassy and empty they were.

"_Who_ was it?" The older halfa asked, barely controlling his anger. Whomever had done this to his little badger, was going to pay- _dearly_.

Not seeing the man's fuming expression, the teenager shrugged. "Technus. He electrocuted me when I was trying out this cool eye ray thing that I'd just learnt to use." He shuddered. "I've always hated electricity. But it's really not a big-" he yawned, "deal."

Vlad's fuming expression softened at the sight of his little badger getting sleepy. "Daniel, you really need to rest. You look exhausted."

He shook his head stubbornly. "Nuh uh. No way. Besides, the minute I shut my eyes, you're gonna use that as an excuse to go! I'm not stupid."

The man smirked at the teenager's' logic. "Daniel, as long as I'm quiet, I could leave as soon as wanted. That logic really doesn't work."

He saw the boy narrow his eyes at the back wall, before the anger visibly diminished and he hung his head sadly. "I can't even glare at you properly anymore. This sucks. You could be gone and I wouldn't know it."

The man's expression turned sympathetic and he put a hand on Danny's left arm. "I'm right here, Daniel. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. You can rest now."

"But-"

"If I was leaving, you would know about it, dear boy. Now just relax. You're not going to heal if your body is exhausted."

He saw the teenager's eyes become half lidded as he let out another yawn. "Promise?"

"I promise," The man said, ruffling the teen's hair, deliberately making sure that some of his heat core's energy was being transferred to his hand as he did so. He saw Danny nod compliantly as he succumbed to the warmth and slid his eyelids closed, the ever-looming fog of darkness still there, but the boy being too tired to care.

"So… sleepy…" he mumbled. Vlad was actually stroking his hair now and he had to admit, it was really relaxing… not that he would tell the billionaire that, of course. Vlad didn't need to be told this though. He could already see the boy's tense expression relaxing as he started drifting into unconsciousness. The boy was fast asleep in a matter of seconds and snoring soundly.

"Sleep well, little badger." Reaching into the suitcase that he had brought with him, the older hybrid took out an mp3 player and placed it onto the bedside table, and took a seat onto one of the nearby chairs. He had given his word to the teenager that he wouldn't leave, so he didn't plan to just yet.

**XXX**

Danny woke up from a, surprisingly peaceful, rest a few hours later. He yawned and opened his eyes out of habit, even though he really didn't see the point in it.

"Hello? Anybody there?" The only response he received, was that of a nurse's.

"Good morning, Mr. Fenton. Your family haven't arrived yet, but Vlad Masters just left."

"He _just_ left? How long was he here?"

The young woman hmmm'ed and fluffed his pillows. "I would say about… five hours. It took us a while to convince him to go home, and when he did finally agree to leave, he left you something."

Danny blinked in shock. The guy stayed here with him for five hours, just because he told him to? But that wasn't Vlad! Vlad didn't stick to his word like that, or not mock him the first chance he got! No, that wasn't Vlad at all! And what was this 'something' he left him?

"Vlad left me something?" He heard the woman grab something small from the left of him and insert something that felt like headphones into his ears.

"He told me that he got this from your room and thought you might want it." She put the small device into one of his outstretched hands. Danny frowned. Vlad had actually retrieved his mp3 player from his room, just so he had something to do? As strange as it was, that was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him. Not even his friends had thought to bring him anything like that, as far as he knew.

As he he heard the nurse leave, Danny pressed where he could feel the play button was on his device and shut his eyes as he listened to the comforting sounds of the Dumpty Humpty rock album. Despite everything, there was something going on with Vlad, though he wasn't going to believe that the guy cared or anything, until he could actually _see_ it for himself. Yeah, he probably needed to ask his friends' opinions on this. Vlad actually caring about him was just too… weird. Was that why he had gotten that fatherly vibe from him when he had first come in? He had no idea. What he did know though, was that maybe a certain half ghost was a lot more than he seemed to be.


End file.
